She walked over to the front of the room and lifted the window sash up, poked her head out to look down at the street. Across the road Flathead Lake shimmered in the sun, calm and soothing. April took a deep breath. Hamish whined from the room next door and she went to investigate. He stood with his paws on the windowsill looking down at the activity on the street. A furniture truck slowed and came to a halt outside her door.
“Hamish, our stuff has arrived right on time.” She hurried down the stairs to greet the mover so she could start directing them as they brought her furniture and collection of shop fixtures inside.
After a busy morning, the drivers left her with boxes piled high in the shop ready for another day. Her apartment upstairs was another story. If she wanted to stay here tonight she would have to knuckle down and get organized. Her bed had to be put together and made, if she could find the box with the sheets and blankets in it. She needed to find some kitchen equipment so she could eat a decent home-cooked meal. A trip to the local supermarket was a must as well. So much to do and the day was half gone already.
April ran up the stairs and to consult her list of boxes. When she’d made the move to pack up her old apartment, a list of what was where had been the top priority so she could settle in easier. “I know I put that list somewhere, Hamish, but where?”
After a fruitless search of her oversized carryall, she gave up. “That blows that idea then. Guess I’m going to have to open every box sooner or later anyway. May as well get stuck in and deal with it.”
Three hours later, April flopped down on her purple velvet lounge setting and closed her eyes. Hamish climbed up beside her and laid his big head on her lap. She placed her hand on his head and sighed. “I do hope we’ve done the right thing, Hamish.”
“So do I.” The scurry of tiny feet on the wooden floors startled her and Hamish bolted off the seat with a deep woof.
Tiny, Dakota’s dog danced around his feet, licking at his face and he rolled over letting the small black poodle climb all over him.
“Dakota, you came.” April jumped up and ran for her sister and grabbed her in a big hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“I couldn’t believe it when you said you were moving here. Mari wouldn’t give me any details either, sneaky thing she is.” She looked around at the clutter of open and half empty boxes and shuddered. “I don’t envy you this unpacking and sorting out. Not my favorite job.”
April grabbed her hand and brought it up to her face for inspection. “It’ll come together. I have the basics out so I can at least eat and sleep. The rest I’ll deal with when I have time. How is this feeling now?” She ran her fingers over the scars gently.
“Good. Not as much feeling as I once had but it’s getting there.”
“Are you massaging on the comfrey balm I made for you just like I instructed?”
Dakota rolled her eyes. “Yes, every single day. I think it helps.”
April snorted and rested her head on her sister’s shoulder. “Of course it does. Told you that plenty of times.”
“Anyway, I didn’t come to talk about me. When do you think you’ll have the shop open?”
“Not too sure. You see, I did a deal with the management company and I have to work on the common areas. The lease was quite expensive so I made a deal with them. Because of my arts degree, they welcomed the agent’s idea that I do some painting to bring the building up to date. Make it look fresh again. It saves them money, and me too, and since I love to paint and decorate, it’s a win-win situation.”
“Told you my future father-in-law was a great guy. If anyone can get his clients a good deal on real estate, it’s Tommy.” She glanced around. “What about up here? Are you going to revamp this as well?”
“Maybe, although it’s not as important as downstairs is.”
“Fair enough. When you’re ready to open the shop, how about I give you some of my stuff? Not the same products as I give to Rachel in the gift shop, maybe some earrings and necklaces?”
“Of course. Anything you care to bring over, I’ll put up for sale. I told you that before I moved out here. And if you ever want to branch out to home wares, this is your shop.” She grinned at the two dogs rolling around on the floor together. “There’s so much scope for what I can do now I’m going to delve into the art of dressing rooms for clients. All of my favorite things in one place. I want to create pieces from everything I love that’ll have people talking and coming back for more. Moore, get it?”
“Please. That’s Bella’s line. I hear it enough from her without you using it too.” Dakota screwed up her nose and looked around the room. “This is quite nice, isn’t it? You can sit and watch the world go by
